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A brand-new Elizabeth Peters novel is one of the uncompromising pleasures in life. As Peter Theroux in the New York Times Book Review points out, "Her wonderfully witty voice and her penchant for history lessons of the Nile both ancient and modern keep (her) high adventure moving for even the highest brows". In her previous outing, The Last Camel Died at Noon, Amelia Peabody and her dashing husband, Emerson, discovered a fabulous lost oasis in the Nubian desert. Now, in the seventh mystery in the series, the Emerson-Peabodys are traveling up the Nile once again to encounter their most deadly adversary, the Master Criminal, who is back at his sinister best. Amelia Peabody was unabashedly proud of her newest translation, a fragment of the ancient fairytale "The Doomed Prince". Later, she would wonder why no sense of foreboding struck her as she retold the story of the king's favorite son who had been warned that he would die from the snake, the crocodile, or the dog. Little did she realize, as she and her beloved husband sailed blissfully toward the pyramids of ancient Egypt, that those very beasts (and a cat as well) would be part of a deadly plot. The expedition began so happily....Leaving their delightful, but catastrophically precocious, son, Ramses, back in England, Amelia hoped this romantic trip might rejuvenate her thirteen-year-old marriage and bring back the thrills that she feared were fading. She and her dear Emerson were returning to the remote desert site where they had first fallen in love, Amarna, the holy city of Akhenaton and his beautiful queen, Nefertiti. But their return would threaten not only their marriage, but their very lives with perils as chilling as a mummy'scurse. An old enemy was determined to learn Amelia and Emerson's most closely guarded secret: the location of a legendary long-lost oasis and a race of people bedecked in gold. So cunning was his scheme that Amelia might overlook - until it was too late - the truth about
Customer Review: AMELIA PEABODY, #7
Elizabeth Peters has written another adorable little mystery in her Amelia Peabody series. The no nonsense, take charge, verrry British Amelia is spending another season in Egypt with her hunky, brilliant husband Radcliffe Emerson. And, the good news is that Ramses, her genius ten-year-old son is staying in England with his newly adopted sister at his Aunt and Uncle's castle. Ramses is a continuous source of exasperation to his mother who has little patience with her precocious son; subsequently she is thrilled to have her husband, Emerson all to herself. Even after eleven years of marriage, Amelia will melt while just looking at her husband's dimpled chin. It is a good thing that 'Peabody' is so in love with Emerson because in this book, he is a lout! He acts like a spoiled, petulant child with no thought of anyone but himself. I really didn't like him at all. I am amazed at the devotion to Emerson from his wife and his devoted workers because he certainly doesn't deserve it. Of course, as usual for this series there is a lot of action that includes a kidnapping, amnesia, and impersonations. I missed the romance between the main characters and I also missed Ramses. The best parts of the book were his letters to his mama and papa. Although I loved reading this book (as I have this entire series), I really liked the first six books a tad better. Here's hoping #8-18 will be fabulous.
Customer Review: A little different, but just as good
The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog is a little different from the preceding books. Still, I enjoyed it at least as much. If you prefer Emerson and Amelia to Ramses, you'll rejoice at this book, where he provides some comic relief without hogging the story. In this one, you get to know Amelia a lot better. Since it's set in Amarna, not Luxor, it helps if you've read the first one because there's a lot of allusions. In addition, it had a great climax and a magnificent ending. I really enjoyed this one - it might be one of my favorites.


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